A Lagos State Commissioner is fighting for his life after being hacked with machetes during a violent clash at an All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders’ meeting on Monday.
Akinyemi Bankole Ajigbotafe (popularly known as “AB Ajigbotafe”), the Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, is currently hospitalized in critical condition following severe blood loss in Alimosho.
The meeting was called to resolve a bitter dispute over Saturday’s chaotic Lagos West House of Representatives primary, which had previously been disrupted by armed thugs wielding guns and dangerous weapons.
Inside sources attribute the ongoing hostility to a fierce rivalry between camp loyalists of incumbent lawmaker Ganiyu Ayuba and former Mosan-Okunola LCDA chairperson, Olabisi “ABISCO” Adebajo.
Tensions boiled over on Monday when suspected political thugs targeted Ajigbotafe.
Insiders suggest the commissioner was singled out due to his alignment with one of the warring factions, turning the peace summit into a bloody ambush that witnesses have labeled an assassination attempt.
“The assassination attempt on the Honourable Commissioner was unsuccessful; however, he sustained serious injuries, his vehicle was damaged and security personnel were severely wounded,” a party member said in a message circulated among APC stakeholders.
Sources disclosed that the commissioner lost a significant amount of blood and had undergone multiple blood transfusions as doctors battled to stabilise him.
The development has thrown the Lagos APC into turmoil, especially in Alimosho, one of the party’s strongest political strongholds in the state.
The attack sparked outrage among party members and stakeholders, many of whom condemned the growing wave of violence, intimidation and hooliganism within the party’s local structures.
In a strongly worded statement addressed to APC leaders in Alimosho, a concerned party member and Certified Protection Officer, Debo Awosheye, described the attack as dangerous and disgraceful.Political Campaign Services
“These incidents are unacceptable and capable of damaging the unity, reputation, and democratic values of our party,” he said.
“No political ambition or disagreement should ever justify violence, intimidation, harassment, or threats against party members.”
Awosheye warned that if urgent steps were not taken, the crisis could spiral further and damage the APC’s reputation ahead of future elections.
Another APC member described the incident as “barbaric” and called for urgent intervention by party leaders.
“How can you fight a sitting commissioner publicly and injure him to the point of blood flowing? This is not acceptable,” he stated
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